DIY Union Jack Jeans

This project was such fun!  I'm trying to keep the kids excited about moving again and leaving all their friends behind again while doing what I can to help them embrace the idea of England.  This project is my latest attempt.

I believe I first spotted these jeans by Religion on asos.  I immediately thought they would be a super fun project to make with my daughter.  She loved the idea.  Even if they hadn't been sold out, the length was far too long from my 11 year old.

asos.com

We hit the mall, searched the stores and tried on lots of white jeans.  She didn't want cropped or distressed or jeggings so we looked and looked and looked.  Her favorite fit ended up being a pair of inexpensive jeans from Target.  They were even on sale.  They are actually intended to be a bit cropped but we rolled them down and they are perfect.

I already had acrylic paint at home but had never intentionally painted clothes.  After a quick bit of internet research I learned that adding a fabric medium is needed to make fabric hold the color and make the paint more flexible.  So for $2.50 each, we picked up a couple of bottles and headed home.

After washing, drying, taping off, painting and drying we weren't quite done but were so excited we had to try them on! 

We left some places intentionally imperfect.

After waiting for the paint to completely dry, I heat set the paint with an iron, washed and dried them and off to school she went.

I have something in the works for the boy child as well.  Equally as cool but not quite as colorful.

Three Little Birds On My Headboard Part 2

And here it is!

I actually have a headboard!  Yes, there are more than 3 little birds but the pattern is 3 different rows, each with 3 different birds so I went with it.  

Let me remind you of the Before: 

So sad.  There are a few things I should mention:
1.  We repainted the walls in BEHR Dolphin Fin.
2.  I picked out some new bedding that works well for the "I don't like ironing"aesthetic.
3.  The little bird pillow isn't a pillow at all just an extra bit of fabric wrapped around a pillow insert.

OK.  This ended up being a bit more time consuming than I initially thought it would be.  And not just because I had to get out the ironing board. 

I made my own template and some of those curves and angles were not very accommodating when it came to cutting foam or wrapping the fabric.  I actually sketched out 4 designs and asked the family.  This design was unanimous.  

Now you know where all my scraps from my Ikea stool project came from.

After covering the green foam with batting, it was still pretty obvious that there was green foam underneath.  Even with the final fabric over the top, there was still a faint green hue.  I added a layer white cotton fabric to save the day.

I hadn't originally planned on making buttons and tufting.  In fact, I only decided to do that AFTER the entire headboard was finished. But it was at this point that I began to think they might be necessary because the fabric was just not smooth.

In hindsight, I'm glad I waited until the final fabric was on the headboard before I settled for certain on using buttons.  I was able to place them exactly where I wanted them in relation to the rows of birds.  It just came down to quite a bit of measuring to make sure my marks on the back were in the right place.  Then I drilled holes through the wood, threaded a long needle with twine through to the front, added the button and then pushed the needle back through the same hole in the foam and wood.  I used a dozen spare buttons to secure the twine on the back of the headboard.  This worked out really well for holding tension when I tied knots.

Measure twice, drill once.

I took some fabric scraps that I had trimmed off and turned them into buttons with the help of some inexpensive Dritz cover button refills. 

I chose not to add legs.  This headboard is huge enough.  Might I want to position the bed not against a wall?  Probably not, but I will address that issue if it ever arises.  We hung the headboard directly on the wall.  I was thinking of using a flush mount and then we came across these awesome hangers.  Level included!  Bonus!  Slides back and forth for easy centering.  Love em.  Crazy easy to hang.  And sturdy.  Nothing is going to fall on my head while I'm sleeping.

Our bedroom had officially grown up just a little bit.

Let the Sorting Now Begin

Yes, another Harry Potter reference in honor of our move.  The time has come for us to evaluate everything we own and try to decide what to do with it.  And I do mean everything.  Each item will got into either Category A: Things That Do Not Move With Us  or Category B: Things That Move With Us. 

Let's break this down!


Category A: Things That Do Not Move

This stuff gets divided up into 4 piles  -  some piles are more like lists at this point

1.  Long Term Storage 
This is stuff that I don't plan on needing for at least 3 years.  It will go into a storage facility for the duration of our time overseas.  Our long term storage will be Non Temporary Storage (NTS) provided by the military.  This list includes appliances with 110v that are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace and/or won't function properly or aren't worth running through a transformer.  Also store things you can't bear to get rid of but don't really need, like the stuff that has been sitting in the attic untouched for years.  Don't forget to consider that extra large American furniture might not fit into a smaller house.

• saved baby clothes 

• a library of books

• alarm clocks:  won't keep correct time

• standing fans:  inexpensive and easy to find

• curling irons/hair dryers:  leave them behind if they are 110V but double check to be sure, they may be dual voltage.

2.  Sell
Anything you are ready to get rid of that you can make money from.  If you are torn between putting it into Long Term Storage or selling it, sell it now unless you think the value with appreciate while sitting in a storage facility.  Make a bit of moving $ from garage sales, neighborhood websites, Craigslist, eBay, etc.

3:  Donate/Give Away
Anything that is difficult to sell but not garbage worthy

• Everything left over from your attempts to sell 

• Hazardous materials: gasoline, open cans of paint, propane tanks

• Houseplants

• Shhhh, we haven't told the fish yet.

4:  Garbage/Recycling
Because if you don't throw out your garbage, the movers will pack it for you.  They are very accommodating that way.  This is funny but no joke.  Whether it is coffee grounds that you left in the machine or an unemptied bathroom garbage pail, you will find yourself unpacking it on the other side of your move.


Next time I'll sort through Category B: Things That Move With Us.

Three Little Birds On My Headboard Part 1

Because we move not infrequently and because we haven't ever found The One and because, truth be told, I don't think it matters all that much, well, we have had the same very basic H-frame for our bed since before we were "we." 

Yup, we've been living like college students for a very long time.  In our defense, we have replaced the mattress.  I'd love to upgrade to a king sized bed but I always have concerns that it won't fit into our next house.  I have decided that, at the very least, perhaps a headboard is in order.

Our bedroom hasn't always looked so very sad.  My fabric inspiration was a very simple project I did for the bedroom back in 2005.  The Issac Mizrahi for Target line came out and I picked up a tablecloth on clearance for under $10.  I loved the bright pop of color.  I cut out my favorite poppy, stretched it around a 4ft x 4ft DIY frame, and hung it on the wall at the head of the bed.  Obviously it isn't there any longer.  Now it hangs in my daughter's room and my bedroom is once again very sad. 

In order to remedy that, I wanted to find a fabric that was fun.  Dare I say whimsical?  Obviously that was a rhetorical question.  I don't like my room to feel stuffy or formal.  On the other hand, its current vibe is a bit too "eat pizza out of a cardboard box in bed."  So here is a tiny hint at what I have decided to do... 

Is that a shower curtain?  Why, yes it is...

Earring Frames / Off Task Again

At this rate, it will be surprising if I ever get things sorted for our move.  Every time I set about to accomplish the task I get sidetracked into a project.  Last night it was an solution for containing the ever-growing dangling earring collection of my daughter. 

She wants her earring on display.  Which is already the case since they don't all fit in her jewelry box anymore.  With fewer pairs, she kept them lined up on a shelf but now they have been ending up in jumbled piles and she can never find the ones she's looking for.  I told her I would help find a better solution.  (The contact cases tied with ribbon are used as carrying cases for her smaller earrings on sleep-overs and while traveling.)

My objective last night was to sort through some old frames and pictures that are in boxes.  Before long I came across these two matching black frames and an idea was hatched.

My sorting came to an abrupt halt.  I removed the glass, left it with my still-needs-to-be-sorted boxes of frames and proceeded to my still-needs-to-be-sorted hoard of fabric pieces.  I found 2 pieces of fabric that I thought would work as backing.  The toddler-sized dress was a gift to my daughter years ago and she couldn't bear to part with it.  There was just enough fabric in nice condition on the back of the piece.  The gold beaded fabric was leftover from a Christmas stocking.

I cut the fabric to size and ironed out the wrinkles.  Then I removed the frame backs and wrapped each board with a separate material.  I used some spray adhesive on the back to secure the fabric.  To hang the earrings, I looked through our still-needs-to-be-sorted collection of nails and screws.  I didn't want to drill holes so I chose some small bright common nails.  The silver finish of the nails didn't work with the fabric, so I broke out the gold metallic oil-based Sharpie again.  Then I evenly spaced the nails, tapped them in and touched up any nail heads that looked scuffed.  You can barely see them.

The project went together without any problems.  I did add a few larger nails for bracelets.  The frames have easel backs so they can stand on her dresser or get hung on the wall.  

Luckily I left space for more nails because a gift arrived in the mail today with half a dozen more earring to add to her collection.  I'm off to Sharpie more nails.  One more thing to do so I can put off sorting. 

Keep Calm And Carry On

It is time to steel myself for several months of unexpected surprises but I truly feel that it is soooo worth it in the end.

There are so many details to get right when planning any move.  A move overseas has added checklists.  A move with the military seems to have so many extra hoops to jump through and forms to fill out and briefings to attend.  Things that are set in stone seem to change overnight.  Everybody is telling you something different but they all emphasize that it must be done correctly.  When we moved to Italy, I held my breath and didn't believe that it was actually happening until our plane finally touched down on Italian soil.  If, at any point of that flight, the plane had turned around and taken us back to the US, I don't know that I would have been surprised.  What I would have been is utterly disappointed.

Not everybody wants to relocate thousands and thousands of miles from their family.  To a country where people might speak a foreign language.  To somewhere with different customs and strange food.  Personally, I think it is an amazing opportunity!  I love the idea of living in a country where the language is foreign.  I love learning about the different customs.  Trying strange food.

So, I shall adopt the recently popular but historically obscure slogan from the British Ministry of Magic Information during the time of Second World War:

                                                           

Perhaps even more appropriate is the slogan from the first issued poster:

 

Chin up!  This will happen!  I feel a bit like Dory, "Just keep swimming.  Just keep swimming."

Flotaki Rug Turned Ikea Hack

1 Flotaki rug + big black dog that loves it as a bed + NC orange soil = not good

2 cheap Ikea stools + sitting for more than 5 minutes  = not good

But . . .

1 Flotaki + 2 Ikea stools =

 

The MARIUS stools were an inexpensive ($5.99 each) temporary solution last year to seating for the computer desk.  In addition to not being very comfortable, the stools were the cause of much late night cursing as toes were stubbed on the black legs as they sat on a dark rug in an unlit room.

The rug was purchased at Italian home store Ovvio.  It lived in the guest room of our previous home but didn't have a place here.  Plus, I never really took to it.  Which is why it lived in the guest room.   I like the idea of a big thick plush natural wool rug you can lounge on.  The reality of a difficult to clean floor covering in which small items get forever lost wasn't fun.  And any attempt to lounge leaves you in dire need of a lint roller.   

I had materials left over from other projects so I grabbed some scissors went to work.

Here's is how it went down:

Cut circle of rug with a diameter 6 inches larger than seat.  The carpet wasn't very dirty but since the pieces were now a manageable size, I decided to wash them (by hand, like a wool sweater) and start with nice clean material.

Gather pieces of foam and cut to fit.

Line up the pieces and mark them so you can go outside with toxic spray adhesive and glue it all together.

Wrap foam with a layer of adhesive-sprayed batting to help it hold the right shape.

Sort through needles until you find one with a large enough eye to be able to pull a piece of ribbon.

Weave ribbon around perimeter of Flotaki circle about 1 inch from edge.  Leave about 12 inches of extra ribbon at start and finish.

Remove seat base and place on top of cushion.  Pull the ends of the ribbon up snug around the seat and tie.  Have your daughter congratulate you for making a hoodie for the stool.  Tuck the ends of the ribbon under.  The covering can be easily removed to wash or change out for something different.

 Reattach legs.

Decide that it needs "a little something" and search the stash of leftover canned and spray paint for inspiration.  Didn't find what I was looking for so I settled on using an oil based gold Sharpie...

to do this:

Debate whether you prefer them brushed-and-fluffy or more natural-and-course  Remain undecided.

Now that we have "real" chairs for the computer desk these stools don't really have a home but they still get lots of use.  We move them around where ever they are needed and they no longer get kicked in the dark.